Apparatus for charging fuel



July 26, 1932. w. A. BARR APPARATUS FOR CHARGING FUEL Filed Feb. 5, 19502 Sheets-Sheet 1 Wo/ferig g gir A RN July 26, 1932. w. A. BARR APPARATUSFOR CHARGING FUEL Filed Feb. 5, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented July 26,1932 UNETED STATES PATENT OFFICE WALTER A. BARR, F FORT WAYNE, INDIANA,ASSIGNOR TO THE WESTERN GAS GON- STRUCTION' COMPANY, A CORPORATION OFINDIANA APPARATUS FOR CHARGING FUEL Application filed February 5, 1930.Serial No. 426,071.

This invention relates to automatic fuel charging machines for thegenerators of water-gas sets. In particular it relates to that type ofmachine that spreads the fuel as it is charged into the generator.

With certain fuels, as coke for example, it is highly desirable. to.prevent fuel from piling up in the center of the generator. If thisoccurs, all of the gas making tends to take place near the periphery ofthe generator and the center of the fuel bed remains inactive.

Machines have been constructed in which fuel is admitted to thegenerator by means of a cone shaped door lowered into the generator fromthe bottom of the charging machine. As the fuel gently slides off thesloping surface of the cone it is prevented from failing in the centerof the fuel bed.

An object of the present invention is to retain the fuel in the chargingmachine until a cone-shaped member has descended into the generator fromthe bottom of the charging machine. Then after the cone-shaped memberhas been lowered, to release the fuel and g5 allow it to fall againstthe sloping surface of the cone-shaped member thereby projecting ighefuel to the extreme periphery of the fuel In the drawings: I

Figure 1 is a vertical cross section of a fuel charging machine;

Fig. 2 is an elevation of part of the machine shown in Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a vertical section of a machine that is a. modification of theone shown in Fig. 1.

The charging machine shown in Fig. 1'

comprises a gas-tight body 1 which also serves as the main frame. Thebody 1 and .the 0 weight of the remainder of the machine rests on agenerator 2 of a gas-making machine, ordinarily a water gas orcarburetted gas machine.

A gasket 3 makes a gas-tight fit between the body 1 and the generator 2.A passageway a for admitting fuel to the body 1 is normally closed by agas-tight door, not shown, located inside inlet door frame 5.

When it is necessary to open the inlet door, the bell 7 is pressedfirmly upward against bevelled valve seat 8 to keep gas in generator 2from passing out through passageway 4. The weight of a charge of coal inthe body 1 of the charging machine is partly supported by the peripheryof the bell 7 but is largely supported by an auxiliary bell 9.

In order to discharge fuel into the generator 2, the auxiliary bell isleft in the position shown in Fig. 1 while bell 7 is lowered by means ofa rod 11 actuated by a hydraulic cylinder 12. The body 1 is providedwith a stufiing gland 13 where the rod 11 passes through the same. Therod 11 is connected to the piston rod 14 of the cylinder 12 by means ofa compression spring 15 and a crosshead 17.

The upper end of rod 11 can rotate freely in the crosshead 17. It isrotated while it is being lowered by means of a motor 18 that drives aworm gear 19, bevel bears 20, a splined shaft 21 and spur gears 22, 23and 24. The gear 24 is keyed to the upper end of the rod 11.

Downward movement of the crosshead 17 starts the motor 18 by loweringstop 26 mounted on a rod 27. The starting switch for the motor at thelower end of rod 27 does not appear in Fig. 1 as it is hidden by bevelgears 20.

By the time that the bell 7 is lowered the length of cylinder 12, it isa considerable distance within the generator 2 and is rotating rapidly.The charge of coal which has been supported on auxiliary bell 9 is nowallowed to fall on the rotating bell 7 by an upward movement ofauxiliary bell 9. Bell 9 is lifted by a hydraulic cylinder 30, link 31and lever 32 and it slides verticallyon guide 33.

The cylinders 12 and 30 are controlled by means of a hydraulic controldevice (not.

shown) to which they are connected by means of pipes 35 and 36. Whenpressure is applied to the top of cylinder 12 by the automatic controldevice through pipe 85, pressure is simultaneously applied to the bottomof cylinder 30 by an interconnected branch pipe 37.

Since the bell 7 travels downward more easily than the bell 9 travelsupward, the piston in cylinder 30 does not move until the piston incylinder 12 has descended all the way. Pressure then builds up andauxiliary bell 9 is lifted against the weight of the charge of coal.Auxiliary bell 9 and bell 7 are returned to their usual positions by theapplication of pressure through pipe 36 and the branch pipe 38interconnected therewith.

The charging machine shown in Fig. 8 comprises a gastight body 41adapted for mounting on a generator 42 of a gas-making machine. Theweight of the charging machine can be supported by wheels 43 on rails44. By means of eccentrics 45 and suitable gearing (not shown), thewheels 43 can be retracted thereby allowing the weight of the machine torest on gasket 46 and make a gastight connection with the top of the gasgenerator 42.

A gas-tight door 48 operated by a hydraulic cylinder 49 allows fuel tobe deposited in the body 41 of the machine through the top thereof.

A bell 50 fits against a bevel gas-tight seat 51 at the bottom of thehopper-shaped body 41. To discharge fuel into the generator 42, the bell50 is lowered by means of a piston rod 53, a' piston 54 and a cylinder55. A gland 56 is provided for the piston rod 58 where it passes throughthe body 41.

During the downward travel of the valve 50 the charge of fuel issupported by an auxiliary bell 57. The auxiliary bell 57 is providedwith a hook-shaped flange 58 that rests on hooks 59. The hooks 59 are anintegral part of spring arms 60 which are fastened to tube 61 which inturn is suspended from the top of the casing 41.

A collar 62 is fixed on the rod 53 and slides freely within the tube 63.It engages the inner lower end of the tube 63 when the bell 50 islowered and causes wedges 64 mounted on the tube 63 to spread shoulders65 that are mounted on, and are also an integral part of, the springarms 60. The pressing of the shoulders 65 outward by the wedges 64forces hooks 59 out from under the hook-shaped flange 58.

The disengagement of hooks 59 with the hooked flange 58 allows theauxiliary bell 57 to descend precipitately with the entire charge offuel.

When the auxiliary bell 57 collides with the main bel 50, the charge offuel is thrown outward quite vigorously, due to the inclination of thecone-shaped surface of the bell 5'7. The bell 50 has been lowered to aposition well within the body of the generator 42 at the time of thedescent of the fuel and the fuel is scattered quite uniformly and wellto the periphery of the surface of the fuel bed in the generator. 7

WVhen the piston. 54 ascends in the cylinder 55, bells 50 and 57 andhooks 58 and 59 are restored to the positions shown in Fig. 3. The ports67 and 68 of the cylinder 55 are connected to an automatic-controldevice (not shown) which charges fuel at appropriate intervals bysupplying fluid under ressure to the ports.

A hand lever 70 adjacent the cylinder 55 operates a plunger 71 thatpasses through a stuffing gland 72 into the upper end of the cylinder55. The inner end of the plunger 71 engages a Washer or flange 73 at theupper end of piston rod 53. The hand lever 70 is used for locking thepiston rod 53 and bell 50 in their uppermost positions at times whenfluid pressure from the automatic control device is cut off from pipes67 and 68.

. Should there be no pressure through pipe 67, a manually operable latchsuch as plunger 71 is necessary either to prevent bell 50 from beingsubjected to prolonged heating within the body of the generator 42 orelse to hold it up out of the way so that the charging machine can bemoved along the tracks or rails 44.

Although the hand latch 71 is only shown as applied to the modificationillustrated in Fig. 3 it is equally applicable to the embodiment of Fig.1.

Some of the advantages of my invention are that after the main bell islowered and when the auxiliary bell releases the fuel, the converginglower part of the body of the charging machine insures that all the fuelimpinges on the lowered main bell. This se-- cures a maximum projectionof the fuel to the extreme periphery of the upper surface of the fuelbed in the generator.

The periphery of the upper surface of the fuel bed is therefore kepthigher than the central portion. The coarse fuel rolls to the center ofthe fuel bed and the line fuel remains adjacent the outer wall.

The effect of the fine fuel along the wall is to retard the blast andreduce the extremely high temperatures along the wall which form wallclinker due to the slagging of the ash in the fuel.

I claim as my invention:

1. A charging device for a gas generator comprising a hopper adapted tobe positioned over the charging opening of the gas generator, a chargingvalve disposed in said hopper and adapted to serve as a closure for saidopening, means for lowering said charging valve into said generator, aninlet door in said hopper adapted to be closed when said charging valveis in other than a closed position in said charging opening, and afuelretaining valve located above said charging valve in said hopper andadapted to open when said inlet door is closed and said charging valvehas been lowered into said generator.

2. A charging device for a gas generator opening, means for loweringsaid charging valve into said generator, an inlet door in said hopperadapted to be closed when said charging valve is in other than a closedposition in said charging opening, a fuel-retaining valve located abovesaid charging valve in said hopper, hydraulic means for opening saidfuel-retaining valve, and means adapted to actuate said hydraulic meansto open said fuel-retaining valve when said charging valve has beenlowered into said generator.

8. A charging device for a gas generator comprising a hopper adapted tobe positioned over the charging opening of the gas generator, a chargingvalve disposed in said hopper and adapted to serve as a closure for saidopening, means for lowering said charging valve into said generator, aninlet door in said hopper adapted to be closed when said charging valveis in other than a closed position in said charging opening, afuel-retaining sleeve located in said hopper above said charging valveand adapted to be raised to erinit fuel to discharge into said generatorwhen said inlet valve is closed and said charging valve has been loweredinto said generator.

4;. A charging device for a gas generator comprising a hopper adapted tobe positioned over the charging opening of the gas generator, a chargingvalve disposed in said hop per and adapted to serve as a closure forsaid opening, means for lowering said charging valve into saidgenerator, an inlet door in said hopper adapted to be closed when saidcharging valve is in other than a closed position in said chargingopening, a fuel-retaining valve located in said hopper above saidcharging valve, a latch supporting the same, said charging valve beingadapted to release said latch and permit said fuel-remaining valve toopen when said charging valve has been lowered a considerable distanceinto said generator.

5. A charging device for a gas generator comprising a hopper adapted tobe positioned over the charging opening of the gas generator, asubstantially conical charging valve disposed in said hopper and adaptedto serve as a closure for said opening, means for lowering said chargingvalve into said gen erator, an inlet door in said hopper adapted to beclosed when said charging valve is in other than a closed position insaid charging opening, a substantially conical fuel-retaining valvelocated in said hopper and i1nmediately above said charging valve whenthe latter is in its closed position in said charging opening, andadapted to be opened to permit fuel to discharge into said generatorwhen said charging valve has been lowered into said generator.

6. A charging device for a gas generator comprising a hopper adapted tobe positioned over the charging opening of the gas generator, a chargingvalve disposed in said hopper and adapted to serve as a closure for saidopening, means for lowering said charging valve into said generator, aninlet door in said hopper adapted to be closed when said charging valveis in other than a closed position in said charging opening, a fuelretaining valve located in said hopper above said charging valve, andmeans for opening said fuel-retaining valve that is actuated by downwardmovement of said charging valve.

7. A charging device for a gas generator comprisinga hopper adapted tobe positioned over the charging opening of the gas generator, a chargingvalve disposed in said hopper and adapted to serve as a closure for saidopening, means for lowering said charging valve into said generator, aninlet door in said hopper adapted to be closed when said charging valveis in other than a closed position in said charging opening, afuel-retaining valve located above said charging valve in said hopper,hydraulic cylinders adapted to lower and raise said charging valve andsaid fuel-retaining valve, respectively, and provided with fluidpressure and relief conduits connected thereto in parallel, whereby saidcharging valve is caused to be lowered into said generator before saidfuel-retaining valve is lifted to permit fuel to discharge from saidhopper into said generator.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name this 15th dayof January,

WALTER A. BARR.

